


I love you like you are mine

by Illidria



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: F/M, Fatherhood, I dont know..., LLF Comment Project, Multi, OT3, Pregnancy, established relaitionship, post-Buccaneers-death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-29
Updated: 2017-12-29
Packaged: 2019-02-23 13:53:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13191459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Illidria/pseuds/Illidria
Summary: It was so easy to see that this boy was not Miles son. They did not look alike, nothing in the babies face spoke of the Major. And yet, the man loved it as if it were his own.





	I love you like you are mine

**Author's Note:**

> A One-shot that would not leave my mind at all.  
> The OT3 idea for the Briggs Crew is beautiful, but the thought what would happen if I applied my usual "Olivier-delivers-Buccaneers-Baby-after-the-promised-day" to it, considering that he died, just did not let me rest.  
> So, here it is, suffer with me.  
> I'm sorry.

Scar was surprised when she took the offered hand and let herself be helped out of the back of the truck.

He’d spent three stressful months at the Fort before Miles, he and several of the so-called Briggs Bears had started their travel to Ishval. And in that short time, he thought to have gotten the gist of General Armstrong’s personality fairly well. Strong-willed, strict and in a hidden kind of way, caring too. He’d been instructed by her soldiers to tread the waters of complements carefully, to never try to win her over with comments on her feminine beauty.

Had told them that he had no intention to do so, not blind to what his Ishvalan brother felt towards the woman.

Yet, he’d have expected the woman he’d gotten to know to wave the soldiers hand away, to maybe even scoff, jump from the bed of the truck and gather her things. Instead she let herself be helped, said her thanks afterwards, inclined her head affirmative when another asked if he should carry her bag to the jeep.

But maybe he should’ve expected that, the baby bundled up in front of her chest appearing to be asleep, any unnecessary jumble a gamble.

Greeted her, trying not to show the many things he felt. Did not listen in when the General and Captain Hawkeye talked, while the latter drove the jeep to the camp Miles and he were currently working in. Tried not to think about the questions on his mind. Why nobody had known that the General was expecting the Majors child until it had been born? Why he’d been denied travelling North for the birth? Why he’d left in the first place, even though he knew his child was on the way? Why he’d not travelled up at a later point in time, seemingly content with talking over the radio?

Why nobody was trying to court-martial them?

He kept his mouth firmly shut of course, as long as he managed to at last. Watched as Miles basically ran towards the jeep, almost shaking with excitement. She’d been supposed to arrive yesterday, but the convoy had to drive later than planned, not all wares loaded up on time. Inwardly was happy for his friend, watching as he took the bundle in his arms, cooed and looked decidedly teary.

Scar trying to weave through the people crowding, many knowing that the Major had become a father, wanting to see. Mustang milling about, heard over the many heads in front of him, arguing with the General if he were allowed to hold the baby too. And when he finally reached the point he’d last seen them, they were already gone in the direction of Miles tent, people talking amongst themselves.

Caught up to them when the General seemed to be settled in properly, in the dim light of the cloth-walls for the first time looking tired to him, worn out. And decidedly happy. Had her bag in hand and set it down on the rug-covered floor. Felt like an intruder, but watched as she unpacked, Miles all the while sitting on his very own small pile of pillows, strewn about the thick floor-mat that doubled as his bed. His son in his arms, the plentiful layers of cloth protecting fair skin from the burning Ishvalan sun peeled away, revealing chubby legs, chubby arms and an all-around big baby, wiggling excitedly.

He almost bit off his own tongue during the Generals and Miles exchange, talking about the travel, what the boy liked and what not, the trial to get here and have his father hold him as the first man to ever do so. Her voice bounced so easily off the walls of the tent, around in his mind, as she told Miles this lie.

“It wasn’t so hard at the Fort, though I’m telling you that Herman is a bit miffed about not getting to hold our cub. And you should’ve seen my father a few days ago! Was angry at first for me not traveling to Central for delivery, then for not coming down right after it. And now he’s mad that he did not get to hold the cub!”

Miles smiling at that, laughing, his hand dancing over the boy’s tummy.

“Well, I can understand his disappointment with the last part at least. He’s a sight, who wouldn’t want to hold and carry him around?”

Looked in love, Scar wondering if the Major had maybe hit his head over the course of the last few days, maybe got a stick to the head during a training session. Was aware that Miles was only a quarter-Ishvalan if it came down to it, that the chances of the boy being fair skinned were pretty high. But the black hair, thick and curly for a three-month old, the heavy bone-structure, the boy’s face. His eyes were his mothers, big and blue and decidedly beautiful, his nose a button. He saw plenty of her in the kid, the high cheekbones, the pronounced lips.

But there was nothing, absolutely nothing, of Miles in it.

The man apparently not seeing it, maybe not wanting to see it, to acknowledge that his anticipation had been for naught. Asking her another question, while she put her and the baby-boy’s clothes in a chest alongside Miles.

“Have you decided on a name yet?”

Saw her movements still, her eyes lock onto the Majors and very nearly felt the tension in the room. Watched as she inhaled and exhaled a few times, before speaking.

“I wanted to talk with you about that first. But I suppose I can’t call him cub forever, can I?”

Miles smile, the boy’s happy gurgle upon hearing his mother speak, breaking the spell as quickly as it came.

“We will. But on another note, the ride must’ve been long, do you maybe want to rest for a bit? Sleep, or eat?”

Heard her negative that, though there was hope in her answer.

“Later, yes, but first I’d like a shower. Would that be possible?”

Listened and watched as Miles explained to her the way, offered her a basket for towel clothes and everything else one needed. As she reassured him that he would manage half an hour with his son, that the boy was fed and changed and ready to take a nap soon anyways.

When the tent flapped close behind her, he counted to ten very slowly in his head, before he let the words tumble from his mouth.

“This kid is not of your blood, Miles!”

The red-eyed gaze meeting his own not angry, nor hurt, nor in the least bit surprised.

“Tell me something new?”

He was struck by how casual the man reacted, could not hold back then, wondering what it all meant.

“Does she have something to blackmail you with then, for you to so readily accept this child as yours? Do you not fear your rank, your reputation amongst our people when you accept this mailman’s child as your own? Is whatever information she got really that powerful?”

Now the anger contorting the Majors face, though he saw that the man tried to keep calm, if only for the baby-boy in his arms.

“Do not speak of things you know nothing about! And he is not a mailman’s child, so better keep such thoughts to yourself if you really want to think them, but don’t ever say something like that out loud again!”

Could not keep his sarcasm in check, even though Miles fierceness on the behalf of this child, this woman, impressed him.

“Then enlighten me!”

Miles did.

* * *

“I’m pregnant.”

She almost whispered those words into his ear, while he was hugging her close in an out of the way corner of the cemetery. Had thrown his arms around her to keep her knees from buckling and now was the one being held upright by her.

Felt her arms rest on his shoulder blades, felt her fingers tremble alongside her voice.

There was no question that it was his. They’d not lain with the other since many months before the promised day, everything had felt wrong after it either. Sleeping in the same bed, sitting next to the other, eating together. There was a hole that could not be filled anymore, a team of three ridded of what kept them together.

Miles felt his voice tremble when he spoke, felt emotion overtake his voice, something mixing into the undeniable sadness that filled his mind to the brim.

“Are you going to have it?”

Would have understood it if she’d have said no, knew that it was her decision, her body, her life she put on the line, physically and emotionally. Yet, he couldn’t help the relieve that washed over him when he felt her head nod yes against his chest.

Held her tighter for a moment, trying to fight through the swirl of emotions in his body.

They’d buried Buccaneer today, had travelled to North City with a bunch of soldiers and buried a man who’d fathered a child and would never get to meet it. Felt sorrow at that, deep and gnawing, but there was also this hint of happiness in his heart, of pride. There was a child, growing still, but there. Against all odds something of him had survived, proven true to his name, something not only his, or hers, but theirs.

The question whispered into her ear, setting free a new wave of tears.

“Can it be like we said back then, that it is mine too, as mine would’ve been his?”

Felt the wet spot on his jacket grow, feeling her nod again against his chest. Held her tighter, trying not to think about how she’d stood like a pillar while the priest had spoken, tears running silently, not acknowledged by her soldiers.

Felt ashamed when he thought about the distance he’d helped to create between them, especially as it was the last thing Buccaneer would’ve wanted to happen. Decided to change that, to fight against the awkwardness, the empty feelings, to fill the hole he’d left with happy memories of him instead.

Her arms linked behind his neck, pulling him to her tighter and her voice was barely heard by him, yet they rang clear.

“We’ll do right by him, right?”

Did not now if she meant Buccaneer, or the baby, but decided that it didn’t matter.

“Yes!”

* * *

“The biggest baby born in Amestris’ North in more than a decade Miles, if she comes across as angry, then rightfully so!”

Patty’s voice full of mirth, even over the crackling speaker of the radio.

His own questions rapid, the Briggs Doc answering quickly and calm, relieve in her voice.

“Yes Major, all went over well. Labour was uneventful expect for the General smashing a nightstand, though the actual delivery was rather tense. He’s really big, takes after his father in that regard!”

Miles laughing alongside her, excitement only growing when Patty informed him that she was just now rounding the corner, ready to talk to him. His heart beating faster while the receiver was passed around, the sounds something he was so used to by now, the radio the only thing they could converse over for more than three months now. The mail wasn’t the same, was too slow, only the picture from the first ultrasound having arrived by now.

Was pulled out of his thoughts, his waiting, by her soft greeting.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

Heard the smiles, the exhaustion, felt almost teary. Asked what he wanted to battle the emptiness within him, the anger at being here and not there, holding his son close.

“How are you?”

A laugh cracking over the radio, having him wonder where her supposed anger was.

“He’s beautiful Miles! Big and chubby and with a head full of jet-black hair! The bets are split fifty-fifty on curls at the moment.”

Could imagine the boy, though it sure as hell wasn’t the same, longing filling his heart, longing and love.

“Put a thousand cenz for me on the curly side of things then! And tell me, is everything okay with you two, how was the birth, did it hurt a lot? Did Patty snap pictures? Did…”

His words broken up by a babble, however distant, his son’s sounds entrancing. Heard Olivier coo, rearrange the receiver and then talk again.

“Everything’s okay with us Miles, he’s got ten toes and ten fingers, no tail and except for being ridiculously huge, he’s a little wonder. And I honestly can’t tell you if it hurt, it’s somewhat muddy when I try to remember. Probably Patty that tried to knock me out, patience of a saint or not.”

Laughed at her words, could imagine and at the same time did not want to think of her smashing bedside tables and screaming at the Doc. Almost missed her own laughter, the nice words directed at him.

“And pictures are on the way already, though I hope they reach you before we do.”

Which pulled him out of his laughter, filling him with an unmeasurable amount of excitement instead.

“You’re coming down?”

Imagined that he could see the smirk, a blonde lock falling into her face at that, hiding one eye from view.

“As soon as we’re fit to and grooved into it all a little. Not to mention that we’re snowed in currently, thanks to yesterdays storm. Your boy really likes to make an entrance, let me tell you that! Was set on being born when only the emergency-lights were on!”

Kept his mouth shut, kept his body from shaking with excitement and from bobbing on his chair.

“Not to mention that there’ll be a bit of a ruckus as soon as Central Command gets the news that he’s been born. For now, we left the fathers name in the birth-certificate empty, because however much I hate to do it, it would get us into hot water. And I mean to honour the tradition of the father being the first man to ever hold him. Dodging the men here is easy, but sooner or later my father and brother will show up, I want you to have held him until then!”

A question worming its way out of his mouth, almost unnecessary if he was honest, yet knowing that he needed to _hear_ her answer to it. They’d grown closer until he left for Ishval, had talked as often as possible over the radio and though they’d mutually decided for him to not travel up, to make the situation not even more suspicious to people from the outside, insecurities were coursing through him.

“So, you really are going to let me be his father?”

Her answer quick, voice laced with annoyance that he knew to be meant humorous.

“Don’t be silly, I’m not prone to changing my mind! He’s our little cub, from all three of us, don’t forget that!”

Leaned back in his chair, smiling inanely, relaxing again.

“Then tell me a bit more about our cub, Olivier.”

* * *

“You think she really is?”

Buccaneers voice full of worry when he answered, however low he kept his voice. The snow crunching beneath their patrolling boots, the top of the Wall populated plenty during this time of day.

“Well Major, she’s puking her guts out for a week now and when she smelled the coffee this morning, she immediately ran off to vomit some more. I heard when you’re like that, smells you usually wouldn’t notice can become extremely disgusting to you.”

Harrumphed, not convinced, but neither sure that they could rule the possibility out.

“In her defence, the coffee often makes her gag a little, especially the first sip.”

The big man stopping, turning to him, not looking in the least bit amused.

“This is serious Miles! What if she really is pregnant? Who’s is it? What are we going to do when someone starts asking questions? What to tell the kid?”

Miles feeling a bit sick when confronted with all of these questions, though opting to take a deep breath, to think. Answered Buccaneers question with one of his own.

“Would you dote on it less, if it were mine?”

It was an honest question from him, to which he hoped for an honest answer. He’d been the one having the most trouble getting used to their relationship, three people madly in love with the other, however tough this love sometimes was. But there was little question to him, he loved the two of them equally, often for differing reasons.

Buccaneer thinking about it for a short moment, before walking on and answering him lowly, ignoring the stares from the men on watch-duty.

“No, I wouldn’t. Doesn’t matter who’s it is, it would be mine too, I think.”

“It’s the same for me. Could be obviously yours and I’d still love it as if it were my own.”

Their mutual sentiment gratifying, leading to a bout of silence, almost ten minutes spent in it, both deeply in thought. It was him again that spoke up first.

“I think if push ever came to shove, we’d figure something out. And if someone starts asking questions, I suppose we should educate them. The kid would have three parents doting on it, I’m sure it wouldn’t mind getting spoiled rotten. Not to mention that every question would be denied, even our own, by the kid just looking like her to the last strand of hair!”

The gruff mans laugh loud and rambunctious, braid whipping back and forth with the shaking of his head.

“Imagine that, her running around with a miniature version of herself, equally as angry?”

Both sharing a good laugh, a good patrol, until walking into the infirmary later, ready to just ask and get their worries out of this world.

Patty looked at them incredulous.

“Fools, abdominal influenza paired with menstruation does not constitute a pregnancy!”

* * *

“Oh.”

He felt stupid.

Probably was stupid. Now that he knew, he wondered why he hadn’t seen. How close they’d been when returning to the Fort after the funerals in North City. The pictures hung up on Miles tent-pole, showing three people, not two. This kind of relationship hadn’t been usual in Ishval, the only kind of polygamy known being a man taking on more than one wife. Yet, he could see no wrong with it, understood that this was not her being greedy and playing with two hearts, but all three of them, being one.

“I… Miles, I need to apologize.”

The other man rocked the baby-boy in his arms, setting off a string of happy bubbling-noises. Watched as his Ishvalan brother smiled at his son, his little cub, happy beyond believe. Felt like he was being scanned when their eyes locked, his own fearing a crucial misstep from him, Miles still full of mirth, calm.

“You did not know, and your confusion was understandable. I should’ve explained beforehand.”

Felt relieved at the others kind words, watched the boy again, seeming so different now, somehow. He was big, yes, but well-formed, cute and chubby. Decidedly happy, giggling and gurgling and smiling and wiggling. Would win over the heart of the women in the camp quickly.

Babies, toddlers, all kinds of small children were still rare, families with those not yet moving back into these lands, instead waiting until the conditions were stable for their offspring. Scar not doubting that he’d be showered in gifts soon, blankets and wooden-toys, would be cooed and cuddled by all that could.

Asked the question that popped into his head, after having observed what he supposed to be an amestrian tradition, with Miles as the boy’s father having to hold the boy as the first man.

“Will you have a naming-ceremony take place?”

Miles leaned back, nodding.

“Talked it all through with the head-priest already. The cubs look _will_ raise confusion among the Ishvalans, it will be better if it’s official that I took him on as my son-at-heart. Because you’re right, it’s quite easy to see that he’s not of my blood.”

Knew better than to ask if he regretted the child not being his, could see that the answer was no, that Miles was deeply in love with the boy. There was only one question left for him to ask now, one that he hoped helped cement his views on his friends unusual, but seemingly working, family.

“Can I hold him?”

Not only the boys father laughed when he was puked on, but also his mother, walking in fresh from a shower.

**Author's Note:**

> This story is part of [LLF Comment Project](https://longlivefeedback.tumblr.com/llfcommentproject), whose goal is to improve communication between readers and authors. I invite you to leave:
> 
> _Short comments_   
>  _Long comments_   
>  _Questions_   
>  _Constructive criticism_   
>  _Reader-reader interaction_
> 
> I reply to every comment, though it sometimes takes me a day, or two.
> 
> I thank you for reading this fic of mine through to the end. I appreciate all comments and kudos and should you want to get into direct contact with me [this is my tumblr](http://illidria.tumblr.com/)


End file.
